Page 3 - Civil Aviation Sector

Global airlines bet big on India, expect it to be hottest travel market

The domestic air travel market in India is expected to double to 300 million passengers from a record 152 million in 2023, according to government data

TDP MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu takes charge of civil aviation ministry

Telugu Desam Party MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Thursday assumed the charge of Civil Aviation Minister, succeeding Jyotiraditya Scindia in the new Narendra Modi-led NDA government. The 36-year-old three-time MP is the youngest Cabinet Minister in the Modi 3.0 government. "I am feeling extremely happy to be given this responsibility of leading a very important ministry, not only in the country but also in the entire world. First of all, I would like to thank TDP (Telugu Desam Party) chief and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu for giving me the opportunity to join the Cabinet and PM Modi for assigning me this ministry," he said. Naidu further said that one of the most important priorities will be to create an "ease of flying" scenario in civil aviation as air travel is becoming more and more approachable to the common man, and that has always been the motto of this government. "...we will make civil aviation or the air travel in this country more approachable to the common man of

British Airways to start New Delhi-London daily flight from April 20

Expanding its services to India, British Airways will start a new daily flight between the national capital and London Heathrow from April 20, 2025. "This will increase the airline's schedule across India to 63 flights a week across five cities," the airline said in a release. Currently, the carrier operates 56 weekly flights to India. These include daily services from Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The new flight, starting from April 20, will be operated with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Neil Chernoff, British Airways' Chief Planning and Strategy Officer said the airline is celebrating 100 years of flying to India. "We eagerly anticipate welcoming passengers on board our new flights and continuing our legacy of excellence in the skies," Moran Birger, Head of Sales Asia Pacific and Middle East at British Airways, said.

Increasing flights, more observations of clear air amid turbulence scare

As more and more flights criss-cross the skies, there are more observations of clear air turbulence, which has increased over the decades very likely due to climate change, and airlines are continuing with efforts to mitigate the impact of turbulence. Though rare, a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence on May 20 that caused the death of a passenger and left more than 70 people injured. While investigation is still on, the incident has also brought the focus on turbulence, especially the factors of climate change and Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). In recent weeks, there have also been other incidents of turbulence. Generally, CAT is defined as any turbulence where there is no cloudiness, and is invisible, which also makes detection difficult by pilots and radars in an aircraft. "While variations in climate can cause variations in CAT, a robust increase in CAT over decades is very likely to be because of climate change," Manoj Joshi, a Profess

Delhi's airport among top 10 busiest airports in the world: Full list here

ACI report: Global air travel rebounded with 8.5 billion passengers in 2023. See where India ranks

Uttar Pradesh govt targeting $2 billion investment in civil aviation

Uttar Pradesh witnessed a rise of 20 per cent in the number of flyers in FY24, indicating a sharp uptick in aviation growth in leisure and business tourism

Govt needs to expand PLI scheme to make India 'global drone hub': Report

The government needs to expand the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme and develop an ecosystem to realise the goal of making India a global drone hub, a report said on Tuesday. An incentive of Rs 120 crore spread over three financial years was provided for Indian manufacturers of drone and drone components under the PLI Scheme notified on September 30, 2021. As per the Ministry of Civil Aviation projections, the Indian drone manufacturing industry is expected to reach Rs 900 crore by 2025 from just Rs 60 crore in 2020-21, according to a study conducted by Nexgen Exhibitions. It also noted that the Indian drone market is expected to grow at 22.15 per cent CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) during the 2024-30 period. With innovation and expansion of its application portfolio, India has the potential of becoming the global drone hub by 2030, it stated. The study highlighted that the key to realising India's vision lies in boosting the domestic drone ecosystem. Other major fac

Air India Express: 85 flights cancelled; Air India to support on 20 routes

If a passenger's flight is cancelled or delayed more than 3 hours, they have the option to either receive a full refund on the flight or reschedule it for a later date without any additional fees

Return to work or face termination: Air India Express gives crew ultimatum

Air India Express fired 25 cabin crew members and demanded others to either return to work by 4 pm on Thursday or face termination

Over 100 Air India Express flights cancelled as cabin crew calls in sick

Air India Express has opted to reduce its flight operations until May 13, with a usual schedule of around 360 flights per day, covering both domestic and international routes

Air India Express fires cabin crew members over 'premeditated' sick leave

According to Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh, more than 100 cabin crew members had reported sick just before their rostered flight duty since Tuesday night

Akasa Air now allows carriage of pets weighing up to 10 kg in cabin

Akasa Air passengers can now carry pets that weigh up to 10 kilograms in the cabin of domestic flights, with the airline on Wednesday saying the enhancement to its pet travel service has been done after taking customer feedback into consideration. In November 2022, the airline introduced the service wherein passengers have been allowed to travel on domestic flights with their cats and dogs in the cabin or cargo, based on their weight. "As part of the enhancements, Akasa Air now allows customers to travel with pets weighing up to 10 kg (including the weight of the container) in the cabin -- an increase from the previous limit of 7 kg. This change has been introduced keeping customer feedback in mind, reflecting the airline's commitment to continuously enhance its services to meet the evolving travel needs of its customers," the airline said in a release. In the cargo, pets weighing up to 32 kg are allowed by Akasa Air. According to the release, the airline has carried more than 3,20

IndiGo sets up desk for passengers with special needs at Delhi airport

IndiGo on Tuesday said it has set up a desk to facilitate check-in for passengers with special needs at Terminal 1 of the airport in the national capital. "Currently, IndiGo has over 20 specially-abled employees and staff at the Delhi airport, who will also be deployed at these desks for assistance," the airline said in a release. The desk will facilitate check-in for passengers with special needs, it added. According to the release, the airline also offers pre-board courtesy and provisions for customers with sensory impairments, mobility assistance, spinal support equipment, and adverse medical conditions.

'Indian airlines will need 60 wide-body planes for long routes by FY2032'

Indian airlines will require around 60 more wide-body aircraft to serve long and ultra-long haul markets in financial year 2032, aviation consultancy CAPA India said on Thursday. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets but at present, only Air India and Vistara have wide-body planes in their fleets. IndiGo on Thursday announced placing a firm order for 30 A35-900 planes and also has the right to buy up to 70 more aircraft. During a webinar on 'Outlook for Wide-body Aircraft in India', the consultancy said the country's long and ultra-long haul market is "ripe for disruption, provided that Indian carriers lead the charge". Long and ultra-long haul operations can be structurally profitable given the strong demand for non-stop connectivity, it said and added that higher pricing thresholds and stability are visible. Further, it said the wide-body aircraft needed by Indian carriers to serve long and ultra-long haul markets by FY2032 will be around 100, which

IndiGo places first-ever widebody aircraft order for 30 Airbus A350 jets

Such a deal would be worth more than $9 billion, as per the last catalogue rates published in 2018

Boeing, Spirit agree on $425 mn deal to address supplier's issues

Spirit will also provide to Boeing specified financial information on a weekly basis

DGCA directs airlines to seat kids up to 12 years with their parents

Airlines shall ensure that children up to the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents or guardians, who are travelling on the same PNR the DGCA mentioned

Differentiated regulations for civilian and defence use of drones on cards

Drone (Amendment) Rules 2023, had done away with several roadblocks, like stringent requirements for obtaining a Remote Pilot Certificate

Bengaluru International Airport records highest passenger traffic in FY23

Kempegowda International Airport has witnessed the highest-ever annual passenger traffic and cargo numbers, with a total of 37.53 million passengers traversing through its terminals and 4,39,524 metric tonne of cargo passing through the airport during the financial year 2023-24. The airport catered to 32.86 million domestic and 4.67 million international passengers during this period, it said. "As we reflect on the past financial year, it's been a landmark period with the highest passenger and cargo figures ever recorded in our airport's history. We've also seen an increase in the number of airlines as well as destinations we connect to. "Our position as the No.1 Airport for processing perishable cargo for the third consecutive year highlights our steadfast commitment to advancing cargo development facilities," said Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Operating Officer at Bangalore International Airport Limited. With the successful launch of Terminal 2 and partnerships with leading airlines a

Govt looking at differentiated regulated framework for civilian use drones

The civil aviation ministry will look at having a differentiated regulatory framework for drones used for civilian and industrial purposes, a senior official said on Tuesday as he pitched for indigenous development of the drone ecosystem. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam also emphasised that the government will make efforts to promote drones as well as push advanced air mobility. Speaking at the national conference on drones in the national capital, he said that "much has been done and more will be done" on the regulations for drones. The ministry is looking at having a differentiated regulatory framework for civilian and industrial drones, he noted. A Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for drones and drone components was notified in September 2021. An incentive of Rs 120 crore is being provided for Indian manufacturers of drone and drone components on the basis of value addition and certain other conditions. At the conference organised by industry body CII, Vual